March 20, 2012

Egypt suffers cattle deaths from foot-and-mouth disease

Foot-and-mouth disease has left more than 2,000 young cattle dead, according to Egypt's veterinary authorities.

Egypt's local press on Friday (Mar 16) quoted veterinary official, Essam Abdel-Shakour, as saying that 24,500 livestock have been infected with the disease over the past two weeks. Most of the infections have come in the Nile Delta provinces in northern Egypt.

Agriculture Minister, Mohammed Ismail, told parliament this week that the ministry has ordered the isolation of infected animals, the closure of cattle markets across the country and is working on providing a new vaccine for the highly contagious disease.

Egyptian farmers have accused the government of incompetence, and have thrown carcasses of cows in front of the governors' offices during protests.